Power Can't Be Suppressed
by MiraculousBookworm02
Summary: Breathing deeply, Dan gathered the ebbs of power that flowed within his veins and directed them to his hands, where he could feel an inhuman force pressing against his skin. It was building up strength where it resonated, pushing and gaining an intensity that Dan had never felt before. And before he could stop himself, he let it out.
1. Chapter 1: Um, maybe it was a bug?

"So, if you enjoyed watching this video, give it a like!"

"We need encouragement if we're ever going to play this game again."

Phil giggled, but quickly tried to cover it up so that he could finish the conclusion to their video. "Click over here to subscribe to _Daniel's_ channel..."

Dan wiggled his eyebrows at the camera as Phil pointed to the space below his body.

"And click over here to subscribe to my channel!"

He paused for a few seconds and looked down to where he would edit his channel logo later.

"And here-" Dan gestured to the small space between them, "Is our gaming channel! So click here if you wanna see more stupid shit like this in the future!"

Phil turned to face him while a playful smile stretched across his face. "Dan! I thought you said you'd try to cut back on your swearing?"

"I gave up on that goal pretty quickly." He returned his attention to the audience. "So yeah, bye!"

"Bye guys!" Phil concluded as he waved madly at the camera. He outstretched his arm to stop the recording while Dan took a sip of water. A comfortable silence spread between them as they waited for the game to save and close, both of them unaware of who would speak first. It ended up being Phil.

"Well, that was quite the experience!" he stated enthusiastically, that signature smile still beaming from his face.

Dan, however, looked at him in complete disbelief. "I hated that game."

"But it was still interesting to play."

"It really wasn't."

"So, I'm guessing since you disliked it that much, you want me to edit it?"

Dan gave him a pouty face and blinked his eyes rapidly, hoping the exaggerated actions would amuse Phil. Which of course, it did.

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"Yep!"

Phil huffed at Dan's happy response, but grinned nonetheless. It just meant that he wouldn't be editing the next two videos for their gaming channel.

"Well, I'm outta here," Dan sassed as he left the office chair, it squeaking slightly as it rolled back from the desk.

"Ok. I'll probably just start to edit the video now, and get it out of the way."

Dan clicked his fingers and pointed tauntingly at his friend. "Have fun!"

"Sure will..." Phil muttered to himself as the door closed swiftly.

〰

 _Nearly done_ Phil thought to himself. He'd spent three and a half hours chained to his office chair, not including the time he'd been recording the gaming video with Dan. His back ached from sitting upright in the same position for so long, but he didn't move from his place because he was just so close. So close to finalising the video, and showing it to Dan to make sure it looked fine.

But something caught his eye as he rewatched a certain part of the clip.

He'd placed the face cam in the top right-hand corner of the screen; in a position that had covered most of the battery percentage symbol of the iPad they had been using for the game. However, he thought he'd seen something move behind the face cam. Like a change of colour, or something like that. It wasn't anything major. It was just something that intrigued Phil.

He moved the face cam recording a few centimetres to the left so that he could fully see the battery level without an obstruction. He studied the clip for a few moments, and rewinded the recording in case he had missed something.

Now thinking he was paranoid, Phil was just about to pause the video when he spotted it. It was the battery symbol.

It had actually risen by 5%, even though the device hadn't been connected to a power outlet. And it continued to rise for a couple of seconds before stopping. It didn't return to the percentage level it had been previously.

 _What the heck?_

Confused, and mildly concerned, Phil stared at the screen. It certainly wasn't something you'd expect to happen. Struggling to come up with a reason for why it had done that, Phil decided he'd show Dan. Surely, he could explain the weird occurrence?

He rose from his seated position and exited the recording room, his laptop in hand and the editing program still open. He made his way downstairs to the living room, where he found a very comfortable Dan slouching in his usual position on their couch; the sofa crease now even more prominent than usual with Dan's lounging form on it.

"Hey Dan, could you take a look at this for a sec?"

The younger tore his eyes from the screen and turned to look at Phil, immediately noticing the laptop in his grasp.

"Oh, have you finished editing?"

Phil bit his lip for a moment before responding. "Not really, no. I was just wondering if you knew what this was..."

He walked over to the couch and sat down next to Dan, who was now curiously searching the screen for whatever Phil was talking about. Waiting patiently, he watched on as Phil rewinded the recording and pressed play.

After a few moments, Dan looked at Phil side on, questioning what his friend actually wanted him to give his opinion on.

"Ok, do you see the battery symbol?" he finally asked.

Dan quickly switched his attention to the top right-hand corner of the screen, where the power level was displayed with 74%.

"Watch that."

Just as Phil said that, the percentage numbers abruptly jumped up to 79%, and continued to rise for another minute. When it finally stopped escalating, the iPad's power levels were at 91%. The numbers did not glitch back to 74%.

Dan sat silently, a pondering expression painted on his features as he rewatched the footage again. It seemed even Dan was struggling to come up with a reason for it.

"Um, maybe it was a bug?" he answered, even though it sounded like a question.

Phil caught on to his friend's uncertainty quickly. "I doubt it. It would've gone back to its original power level if that was the case."

Dan sighed aloud dramatically and stared at Phil, confusion crossing his face for a moment; only for the emotion to be replaced with one of indifference. "Then I have no clue, Phil. Maybe we should just cover it with the face cam and forget about it. It can't mean anything important."

Frowning in slight dismay, Phil turned to face the screen again and moved the face cam over the battery symbol, just as Dan suggested. He was right; it was probably just a minor bug, or something like that. Nothing they should be worrying about.

"Ok so, other than that, it's good to upload?"

Dan glanced up at him again and smiled softly. "Yep, as good as it'll ever be."

Resisting the urge to sit down next to Dan and scroll through Tumblr mindlessly, Phil made his way to his bedroom to upload the video and read a book before going to bed. He did, after all, want to get to bed at an hour that was somewhat reasonable. But in the world of Dan and Phil, that may as well be 2am.


	2. Chapter 2: Why isn't your skin burnt?

The Phandom, as per expectation, found humour in Dan and Phil's combined suffering throughout the gameplay uploaded later that day, and some even asked for a sequel to it. And as much as Phil wanted to please his viewers, he would have to convince Dan first if they were going to revisit that dreaded game again. He waited a couple of days, however, before he attempted to change his friend's mind. Unfortunately for Phil, his persuading skills could use a bit more finesse.

"Come on, Dan! It's only one video."

"Nope. Not happening. Never again."

"Just one!"

Dan's, albeit childlike, stubbornness crept into his speech. "No. You know why, Phil?"

Attempting to finish his sentence, Phil actually responded to the rhetorical question.

"Because it was the worst gameplay we've ever done on our channel?"

Dan opened his mouth, but thought for a second about his answer to Phil, as he hadn't actually been expecting a reply at all. "Well, yes, that is one of the contributing factors. But do you know the main reason why?"

Phil shook his head, clueless as to how this conversation was going to end.

"Because one video will cause another, and then the next video encourages another, and soon enough it'll be the Sims 4 all over again!"

Although the words were harsh, Phil read into the subtext embedded within his tone and heard the playful meaning behind his language. Phil was good like that; he could pick up hidden meanings within one's speech.

"You and I both know for a fact that the Sims will probably be the only ongoing series on the channel."

And at that comment, Dan grinned. He couldn't deny that statement; it was improbable that another series will come along like the Sims that would take their audience by storm. Phil picked up on his reaction and knew he was finally beginning to convince him to an agreement.

"So, are you going to record it with me now?"

Dan smiled at him sincerely, and even closed his laptop's lid for emphasis. He straightened his posture and tipped his head to the side with that stupid grin still plastered across his face. "Absolutely not."

Phil couldn't believe him. Sure, it was kind of hilarious to witness the extent of Dan's persistence, but at this point in time Phil wanted nothing more than to make Dan see things through his perspective.

He reached his arms out to shake Dan's shoulders, in what would have been a wimpy attempt to plead his case, but instead recoiled instantly once his fingers came in contact with Dan's skin due to the shock of electricity that traveled through his flesh.

"OW!" Phil yelled abruptly, shaking his fingers madly to get rid of the electrical current that had transferred from Dan's body to his own.

"Jesus, Phil, are you alright?"

Dan's expression had immediately gone from teasing to concerned as he watched his friend curl his fingers in an attempt to bring feeling back to the ligaments. However, Phil's face was no longer scrunched up in pain, but was rather displaying an onslaught of shock.

"What the heck just happened?" Phil asked, his eyes wider than what Dan thought was humanly possible.

"I-I don't know. Are you alright?"

Glancing back at his hand, Phil nodded in reply when he saw no damage apparent on the skin. "Yeah, I think so. Must have just been static electricity..."

Dan was extremely doubtful of that assumption. But then again, what other reason was there? Why else would Phil suddenly be jolted with a current of electricity, coming from _him_ of all places?

 _It's only static electricity, the stuff that zaps everybody. It's completely normal._

So Dan and Phil pretended it hadn't happened. Phil opened up Twitter to announce the unlikelihood of a sequel to their last gaming video, as Dan's stubbornness seemed to be preventing anything of the sort from happening, and Dan went back to Tumblr because, well, he was Dan. When was he not a living meme?

They were both just happily scrolling through their social medias on the couch when Dan abruptly realised he'd left his laptop charger in his bedroom. Knowing that he of all people would be cussing at every living thing within his perimeter if his laptop ran out of charge midway through doing something, Dan decided to retrieve the cable and bring it back to his seat in the lounge room.

Cracking his knuckles as he made his way to the bedroom, he recollected the events that had only occurred moments ago. There was no way Phil had been hurt that badly from just a shock of static electricity. It just wasn't possible.

So as Dan unplugged the charger from a connecting wire on his bedside table, a small zap could be heard coming from the cord. Puzzled, he lifted the conductor and inspected it for any openings or over-extensions that would explain the sound it had emitted so suddenly. Upon finding absolutely nothing, he shrugged his shoulders carelessly and left his bedroom for the comfort of the living room.

Phil was still seated upon their shared sofa when he re-entered the spacious room. He peered over the top of his laptop's screen to view Dan for a moment before briefly smiling and returning his gaze to the keyboard.

After sending Phil a quick grin back, Dan made his way over to their shared power point and knelt down next to the wires. He held the plug in his left hand and gently lowered it into the socket, but was then immensely frightened when a spark of blue electricity erupted from the cable and into his hand; a slight burning sensation coming from his fingertips as the electricity traveled between him and the power outlet.

"Fucking hell!" Dan just about screamed as he pulled his fingers away from the sparks. Phil was at his side in an instant, staring at his seemingly healthy flesh, even though electricity had just been transmitted though it.

"What just happened?! Are you hurt?"

Now Phil was flustering over Dan's health. But it was for good reason, because Dan had just been electrocuted with, as far as Phil could tell, no side effects or lasting damages apparent anywhere on his body. Which was unheard of.

"Why isn't your skin burnt or anything?" Phil questioned, amazement crossing his features only for a moment. "I'm grateful that it isn't, but scientifically your hand just shouldn't be like this..."

Dan looked down quizzically at his hands, and slowly turned them over for careful examination before clasping them shut.

"I honestly have no idea. How haven't I, like, ended up with charcoals for fingers after that?"

They both turned their gazes down to the massive group of wires next to the power outlet and crouched down next to it cautiously. Phil slowly hovered his hand above the cables, waiting for another spark or flash to erupt from the conductors. But there never was one.

"What the heck..." Phil muttered to himself, puzzled as to why nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

"Maybe we should just ditch the charger. It made like a zapping noise in my room when I unplugged it, so it might be time for a replacement," Dan commented, watching Phil's face for a sign of agreement.

"Yeah, we should get rid of it. It's probably a fire hazard, too."

Dan nodded, and slowly reached his hand out to disconnect the cable while Phil watched on. But as soon as Dan hovered his hand over the wire, a streak of blue and white electricity ruptured from the cable and into Dan's hand again. Dan however, didn't move from his position this time.

"Dan! What the heck are you doing?!"

He was obviously concentrating on whatever he was doing, as Dan didn't even glance back up at Phil to indicate that he'd heard him in the first place. He just remained crouching down next to the cables, his hand still being struck by the miniature current of power.

Phil watched on, gobsmacked, as Dan casually pulled his hand away from the live cables and stood up quickly, a broad smile spreading across his features like he'd won the lottery.

"Phil, I'm gonna need you to stand back."

"What, why? What are you doing? What were you just doing?"

"Please, just do what I said. I wanna test something."

So Phil, who didn't see a reason to not do as he was asked, stood up and walked about four metres away from Dan. Dan nodded at him approvingly, happy with the distance that now separated the two. He then looked down at his hands, and clenched them to make fists. He raised his head to see Phil's expression, which was one of masked terror and curiosity. He didn't know what Dan was up to, and because of that he was _scared_.

 _I never meant to scare him..._

He smiled at his friend to try to assure him that everything was alright, and decided right then and there that he'd test out his theory. If it didn't work, they could both go back to their normal lives. But if it did...

They would probably have a hard time grasping at the concept they'd discovered.

Raising his arms to about chest-height, he closed his eyes and shut out the sounds around him. He focused on his fingertips, and remembered the sensation he had felt earlier through the live wires.

He was now beginning to feel that same sensation awakening from within him.

Breathing deeply, Dan gathered the ebbs of power that flowed within his veins and directed them to his hands, where he could feel an inhuman force pressing against his skin. It was building up strength where it resonated, pushing and gaining an intensity that Dan had never felt before.

And before he could stop himself, he let it out.


	3. Chapter 3: Stop whatever you're doing!

Lightning burst from his fingertips, and illuminated the room with blue hues and streaks of white light. It crackled and forked within the lounge room and hit the ceiling with enough force to leave an indentation.

Dan stood, perplexed, watching the form of energy erupt from his fingers and dance swiftly through the air. He'd never seen anything like it.

Well, he'd seen lightning before. But he'd never seen it in a space as confined as the one he was currently in, as well as seen it actually come out of a _person._ That was something new altogether. He found this newfound power quite beautiful actually.

Whereas Phil didn't know what to think. Dan was clearly the energy source, where the lightning was coming from, but that was unheard of. Nobody had, like, superpowers in the real world.

But here Dan was manipulating an element with ease.

"Dan! Stop whatever you're doing!"

But he didn't hear him. Dan was too far in his own little world, thinking of all the possibilities that had now arisen due to this inexplainable phenomenon.

"Dan! You're burning our roof!"

Phil ran over to his friend and shook his arm to get his attention. As if awakening from a daze, Dan shook his head to clear his thoughts and truly saw what he was doing to their apartment.

A large circle of burnt, black paint covered an area of the ceiling where Dan's lightning was consistently hitting, and Dan's face paled slightly as he thought about the damage he'd done already to his own home. He lowered his hands and thought of switching whatever energy source he'd discovered off before he burnt through their roof.

The lightning receded to his fingertips until only a dull, white light remained, and all Dan and Phil could do was stare.

"What the fuck?!" Dan swore, looking down at his hands again before returning his attention to Phil, whose expression was so far unreadable. Dan, however, had the broadest smile patent on his face.

"That was lightning... Real lightning... Oh my God... How did that happen?" Phil seemed unable to form proper sentences as he returned Dan's gaze warily.

"Like I know, Phil. But that was amazing! That, wow, that actually just happened."

They both seemed to be at a loss for words. They'd witnessed the impossible; something that just shouldn't scientifically be able to occur. But somehow, it had.

"Dan, can you like, control whatever that was?"

Dan smiled at Phil uncertainly. "I think so? I wasn't really doing anything other than holding my hands out the entire time. If you hadn't, like, vigorously shaken me though, there'd probably be a massive hole in the roof right now."

Phil's tongue peeked out from between his teeth as he laughed at Dan's comment. That was probably the worst result from Dan's actions they could have received, but luckily it hadn't happened. They didn't need to deal with an angry landlord on top of all of the things they were already juggling in their lives.

This newfound power being another thing they'd have to figure out themselves.

"So, wow, um, can you do anything else? Because that was... amazing."

Dan couldn't prevent the wicked grin he sent Phil's way as he approached him. "Are you saying that you want _more_? That actual lightning isn't enough of a superpower for you?"

Sensing the sarcasm rolling off his tongue, Phil shook his head slowly. "You know I didn't mean that!"

Dan and Phil shared a moment of amazement between them as they felt the warm air around them; providing evidence that whatever had just happened, _had_ miraculously happened.

"To be honest with you Phil, I don't know. There could be endless possibilities with whatever we've just discovered. I'm not even sure myself how I did it in the first place!"

They laughed together and approached their couch, where they sat down next to each other and stared at Dan's hands.

"Well, do it again! There must be more you can do," Phil hypothesised, sounding confident in his theory even though he had no idea what he was talking about.

"Ok, sure. What do you think I should try?"

Phil hummed in thought as he tried to come up with things Dan could try out with this new power. "How about you try to heat something up?"

"What, like a microwave?! Seriously?"

"Well, yes! Why not? Lightning is a form of energy, so shouldn't you be able to transfer that heat to something else?"

Dan glanced between his hands and Phil's eyes before abruptly slamming his hand on the couch, and focusing his energy onto that particular spot. His friend gave him a weird look because of the level of concentration his face had written on it, but he dropped the expression when he realised what Dan was trying to achieve. After Dan removed his hand a couple of seconds later, sure enough that section of the couch was scorching; as if it'd been on fire only moments ago.

Dan's eyes lit up at the discovery and Phil couldn't help but stare. His best friend could conjure up lightning, of all things, from nothing except his bare hands. And Phil found that astonishing.

"What else can you do!?" Phil questioned, excitement clearly featuring throughout his tone.

Dan smiled warmly at him, his face softening at Phil's words. "I don't know, but we can sure as hell find out."

〰

 _Dan can create lightning._

The thought wouldn't leave Phil. It mingled with his dreams and interfered with his actions. He was still partly in a state of shock, as it had only been a few days ago that they had discovered Dan could manipulate a form of energy; and a dangerously powerful form of energy too.

Phil would be lying if he said he wasn't the slightest bit jealous. Sure, he was happy that Dan was even able to do these things, but he desperately wanted to be able to do them, too. Watching Dan casually zap his coffee with lightning to keep it warm for a longer period of time, and listening to the crackle of energy whenever he attached a charger to a power outlet only reminded him that he couldn't do any of these wonderful things, and probably never will.

It also frustrated him that they had refused to talk about what to do next.

Phil had brought up the topic on multiple occasions, but Dan did anything to avoid responding and instead attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction every time they spoke. It was oblivious he didn't know what to do. And that was why he and Phil had to discuss it at some point, because otherwise were they just going to go on with their normal lives knowing that Dan was now anything but normal?

That was how Phil ended up knocking on Dan's bedroom door and asking if he could come in. He heard a muffled reply from inside, and assumed that that was his cue to enter.

When he did, he saw Dan sprawled on top of his bed, with his hands only centimetres apart and held up in the air above his head. His hair was a mess of curls, and as if the static electricity alone wasn't enough to make his hair extremely fuzzy, he hadn't straightened his hair in weeks due to his somewhat recent rebrand that made him the 'Dan' he was that day.

The only source of luminosity was a small lamp on Dan's bedside table that sent streaks of pale light traversing across his body, the beams shifting slightly with every breath he took. However another light soon illuminated the room for a moment as blue forks of lightning traveled between his outstretched hands, with Dan's broad smile barely visible from Phil's position in the room. Clearly, Dan was very pleased with how far he had come with his powers.

"Hey Phil," Dan greeted, finally sitting upright to look his best friend in the eye. "What's up?"

Phil's eyes flickered to Dan's hands, which were resting on his lap, before meeting Dan's gaze again to answer him. "We really need to talk about what to do next."


End file.
